Behind the Mask
by ChaosWing
Summary: Lonlieness overtakes the spirit No-Face, and he goes out to find a place where he truely belongs. *Chapter 2 up!*
1. Rain Falls

((Author's Note: Aye, this is my first fic here. ^_^ I hope it is liked. Now for the legal stuff. I don't own Spirited away, I am just a broke child with a favorite movie. Don't hurt me. X_x))

It was raining again. The masked spirit known only as No-face sat alone in the small cottage of Zeniiba. How long had he been here? He couldn't remember, it had been so long. How long had Zeniiba been gone? For too long. She had left for reasons unknown, and hadn't come back. The sadness of being alone had begun to lurk in the dark corners of his mind, and now it had nearly overcome him. He remembered a time like this. Before he had come here, he had stood alone on the bridge to the bathhouse, not sure what to do. Then that human girl had come. She was kind to him, and he finally felt as though he had a friend. The he left her here. It wasn't bad. He had someone to keep him company. Then that company left. He was back where he started, and one thing was on his mind. That girl. He thought for a wile. What had her name been? Then it all returned to him. 10 years ago, the human girl Sen, no, Chihiro had left him here.

By the time No-Face had stepped from the cottage, he had decided what he wanted to do. He would find Chihiro, or that bathhouse. He needed someone to keep him company, or he feared that he would go insane once more. He stepped into the rain, and memory fragments became whole once more. 

__

In the rain.. Waiting outside.. Girl with bucket opens door.. Invites me in. I go.

The rest No-Face could not remember, but something within him wanted something. He thought it had to do with what had happened in the bathhouse. He had eaten too much. He had eaten people. The memory caused him to freeze. It was their greed, he thought vainly. It made me go insane. But inside, he knew that there was a deeper truth. Something in his past. Then he continued.

No-Face walked for a bit, until he came to the train station. It was still raining, and the land was already wet. He stepped onto the tracks, and began the long journey back to the bathhouse.

No-Face walked for days, eating the occasional fish or bird. His main difficulty was that of the train. He would look and listen for it, avoiding it every time it passed. It was an uneventful trip, but the masked spirit continued diligently on. Then, after he had been walking for about a week, he reached the bathhouse. He swam weakly to a ledge sticking from the building, and climbed onto it. Then, he began the ascent to the bridge.

It was night, so the bridge was full of life (or it wasn't. n_n;; ). No-Face slipped into the crowd, hoping not to be noticed. He was greeted by one of the workers, who looked at him for a moment. No-Face did not recognize the worker, and it seemed that the worker did not either. He took the gold that No-Face offered greedily, and lead him to the foreman with a cheerful "This way, sir." While the two walked, a small frog named Aogaeru froze, seeing the black spirit. He was unable to speak, his shock and fear were so great. No-Face saw him, and froze as well. He now remembered. He had swallowed the small Aogaeru and stolen his voice. 

A cry went up as No-Face was recognized by more workers. It turned into utter chaos in mere instants. Everyone in the bathhouse was attempting to make No-Face leave in violent ways. He didn't dare fight back, he was afraid. So he started running back to the entrance, as best he could with all his attackers. He burst out the front gate, rushing to get out. And then he was free, rushing through the streets, not daring to look back.

((Oi. Well, I will be continuing soon. I'd like to thank Astaire, who's story helped me to actually dare to make an account and post this.. Er, creation. Thank you! ^_^ ))


	2. Memories

((As with the previous, I do not claim to own Spirited Away in any sense. And all the other stuff.))

As No-Face ran, he could recall why he was hated so. He could not blame them. He had eaten three of their own, and nearly destroyed the bathhouse. He had remembered that he had eaten someone. But he knew not who, nor how many. He had not remembered the damage, not until now. And now that the truth had been uncovered, he knew he could never return there.

No-Face reached the river, and stared across it. It was too deep for him to cross, and there were too many others on the boat who might try to prevent him from leaving. He hid under a ridge, and waited, invisible, for the dawn.

He did not sleep, as he never had. But through the night, he thought, and remembered. He thought of many things, and two thoughts lingered with him for the whole of his waiting time. What had happened to his name? He couldn't remember it, no matter how hard he tried. Was he like Chihiro, who's name had been taken? No, he knew that wasn't so. He had forgotten it, simple as that. 

The other thought was of his mask. Where had it come from? He had the slightest notion that it had to do with what he was now. At one point he guessed had been like a normal spirit, but the mask had changed him. But he loved the mask. It would never cause him any harm.

The sun rose slowly over the mountains, and No-Face looked around. The river had gone. It was but a mere stream now, with what was left of the water weaving its way around gray stones. His mask smiled, as he began to cross it. The sky was clear, and birds sang high, trilling songs that at times, made his ears ache. But it was nice. He felt alive again.

The apparition walked in the slow, lilting way that he often did, admiring all that surrounded him. It was very different here, and he could feel it. Life surrounded him in so many different shapes, he knew that he would never see it all in a day. He feared, however, that when night fell, they would be searching for him. So he looked for a place to stay.

A small shack caught the spirit's attention. He wavered slightly, debating on weather he wanted to go there or not. He did not really want to stay anywhere, but he knew he needed to. He drifted over, and looked around. There was no one in sight, so he went into the house. It was very quiet, and No-Face felt nervous. The inside of the shack was dusty. It did not look like anyone had been living here for quite some time, if ever. He observed the roof quietly, then the walls. During this inspection, he noticed something that made him feel cold. There was a smear of blood covering a portion of the woodwork, and a handprint in its center.

No-Face wavered, sides wobbling slightly. He reached out one of his hands, and saw that it was the hand of a human. He stepped away quickly, going to the exit.

((Oi oi. It's late, and I need sleep. ^_^;; Thanks muchly to Chirleep, Nai (I see you. O-o), Cardcaptor Mars, Astaire, and, er, ???? for the reviews. I really do appreciate them. ^_^ Till next chapter! ~Chaos ))


End file.
